Local Officials Confident Raiders' Vegas Stadium Will Be Ready By '20 NFL Season

April 21, 2017

Clark County (Nev.) Commission Chair Steve Sisolak after a closed-door meeting Thursday said he is “confident” the Raiders will play in a new Las Vegas stadium by the start of the '20 NFL season, according to a front-page piece by Art Marroquin of the LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL. To make that happen, Sisolak said that he will "'implore' local transportation agencies to accelerate previously planned road improvements, adding that the Raiders will pay a share of costs for projects specific to the stadium." Sisolak: “It’s tight, there’s no wiggle room, there’s no room for error, but it can be done in time." Sisolak said that the Raiders "plan to file 'very soon' for a height-requirement review" with the FAA -- "most likely for the team’s preferred 62-acre site" in southeast Las Vegas. FAA spokesperson Ian Gregor said that there is "not a set timeline to complete such reviews, but it took 'well over a year' to resolve radar interference issues" at LAX that were "caused by the height of the Rams’ new stadium in Inglewood." Roughly 70 people attended the private meeting, "including a dozen Raiders representatives" (LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL, 4/21).

WON'T HAPPEN OVERNIGHT: In Las Vegas, Mick Akers notes the meeting "focused on infrastructure for the stadium." Sisolak said, "It’s a 32-month project -- it’s going to take some time. It’s incumbent upon the county to do everything it can to facilitate the development and that it’s done in an expeditious manner.” Sisolak also said that the Raiders have "yet to exercise their option to purchase" the 62-acre Russell Road site. CBRE Global Gaming Group Exec VP John Knott, who represents the property owners, said that the "asking price for the land" is $100M. The Raiders in Thursday's meeting "brought up their concerns with the site, including parking issues." About 6,200 parking spots are "planned for the Russell Road site, fewer than the average NFL stadium." The use of a nearby hotel-casino parking garage has been mentioned in previous meetings and studies, but Sisolak said that the "likelihood of that is slim." However, Sisolak said that renting some spots "could happen" (LAS VEGAS SUN, 4/21).

ON THE DOTTED LINE: In Las Vegas, Richard Velotta notes members of the Las Vegas Stadium Authority Board on Thursday "took their first dive into a new draft lease agreement" with the Raiders. The draft is not yet complete, and LVSA Chair Steve Hill said that there are "still some issues to resolve, including a critical sublease that would spell out UNLV’s access to the facility." After the review, MGM Resorts Int’l President and LVSA BOD member Bill Hornbuckle said that he was "concerned about whether everything would be completed" by August '20 when the team targets moving in. Hornbuckle: “It took us 22 months from groundbreaking to opening of the T-Mobile (Arena), and this is a bigger project. There’s room for concern. Having said that, it can be done, but we’ve got to be breaking ground by fall.” Hill said that he "intends to have a timetable completed by the authority’s next meeting, May 11, that outlines when documents, studies and actions must be completed" (LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL, 4/21). Also in Las Vegas, Adam Candee notes deadline pressure "did not prevent a few moments of celebration at the meeting." Raiders President Marc Badain informed the board that "close to 46,000 personal seat license deposits have been collected by the Raiders" (LAS VEGAS SUN, 4/21). The AP's Regina Garcia Cano notes the Raiders "wouldn't pay rent" at the proposed tax-funded stadium under the most recent version of the lease agreement. At Thursday's meeting, "several details of the draft agreement, including the stadium's insurance, naming rights and length of the lease, were addressed" by LVSA board members (AP, 4/20).